OIA-CE-2025-3015
8 August 2025
Emily O’Callaghan
[email address]
Tēnā koe Emily
Thank you for your email, received on 13 July 2025, to Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for
Children (Oranga Tamariki) requesting information on the independent consultant’s
report on grievance procedures. Your request has been considered under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act).
You have requested:
A copy of the Hindle Report (2004) on Grievance Processes in CYFS residences
by Antoinette Hindle.
An outline of what steps were taken by CYFS following the release of the report
to improve, streamline or modify grievance processes withing CYFS residences
for children and young people.
Any official policy documents relating to the grievance procedures released in
response to the independent report.
Please find a copy of the report attached to this response.
Following a thorough review of our records, we have been unable to locate any specific
information related to improvement steps that were undertaken in response to the
report. As such, as your request is refused under section 18(e) of the Act as the
documents containing the information requested do not exist or, despite reasonable
efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
Since the report was written in 2004, there have been considerable changes to the
availability of care within residences. Currently there are five youth justice residences
and two care and protection residences operated by Oranga Tamariki, and a specialist
facility for harmful sexual behaviour operated by Barnados.
Several improvements have also been made to grievance process since the report
was written, including:
•
In 2015 a rejuvenated grievance process called Whaia Te Maramatanga
(seeking enlightenment) was launched across all residences.
•
Residence advocates have been established and are now readily accessible by
children and young people in residences.
•
Residence managers do not appoint Grievance Panel Members. These positions
are appointed by the Minister of Children and approved by the Children’s
Commissioner and the Principal Youth and Family Court Judges.
•
Several alternative ways to raise a grievance or complaint have been
implemented, including throuh:
o
Whakarongo Mai, the independent advocacy and connection service
o
Mana Mokopuna
o
Aroturuki Tamariki Independent Children’s Monitor
o
Office of the Ombudsman
o
The Oranga Tamariki Feedback and Complaints process.
Please note, Oranga Tamariki has also made a significant amount of information
regarding Grievance Panels available on our website
here. Information on how
tamariki and rangatahi can make a complaint or a grievance, and the independent
services and advocates available to support them in these processes can be found
Oranga Tamariki Practice Centre website
here.
Oranga Tamariki may make the information contained in this letter available to the
public by publishing this on our website with your personal details removed.
I trust you find this information useful. Should you have any concerns with this
response, I would encourage you to raise them with Oranga Tamariki. Alternatively,
you are advised of your right to also raise any concerns with the Office of the
Ombudsman. Information about this is available a
t www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
or by contacting them on 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Iain Chapman
Acting Deputy Chief Executive Youth Justice Services and Residential
Care
